Hi everyone. As you can see I am still here. If you don’t know what I am talking about, read my last issue under the features tab. I think I’ll give you a progress report on my mom, first of all. Concerning her knee, she is doing great. At the end of April she had a total knee replacement. Her new knee is made from plastic and cobalt. She loves it. She was having a few issues getting her leg down on the back of the bed. She started out at an 18, and she made it down to a 3 where she got stuck. The physical therapists started using weights on her and that’s when she was able to get to 0. According to her physical therapists, she met all the numbers that she should have or exceeded them. She is all finished with PT now and doing great.
She can walk briskly, something she hasn’t been able to do for a long time. It’s amazing to me how well she is doing. For anybody facing a total knee replacement, my mom advises that you get someone to stay with you for two weeks. My mom has two cousins, and one came for one week, and then the other cousin came for the second week. That really helped my mom, and she really appreciated it. She also said to make sure you go to all physical therapy appointments, and do your exercises at home. I have to admit before she had the surgery I was rather afraid. She was at the body shop a lot. I think those guys were trying to sell her different body parts, but in the end it all turned out. Plus she found a new orthopedic doctor that listened and answered all her questions. Not all doctors do that. Trust me my mom knows.
Princess Blue has been having a few issues too. If you remember, she is our chauffeur. She’s our car, but don’t call her that. She thinks she’s human, and my mom, and I do too. She has all the emotions of a human. She can be happy or mad. She doesn’t have a middle gray area like most people do. She’s a black or white person. She’s either happy or mad, and she lets you know it. But we love her immensely. My mom says that if she ever passes, she’ll have to buy a cemetery plot for her, she’s that special to us.
I think I’ll give you my update at the end of this column. I am going to take a few minutes and remind everyone that it’s summer and you need to take extra care and precautions with your pets, especially cats and dogs. The heat and humidity is bad. People are having cookouts and parties with family and friends. Please don’t forget to put your furry loved ones in the house where hopefully it is cooler. When people are over you may want to put them in a special room or a certain part of your house or apartment. And please don’t feed them people food. There is a reason humans, dogs, and cats have their own food. There are too many reactions to human food that can cause permanent damage to your beloved pets. Please be careful.
Here are some jokes that I think you will love:
What do cats eat for breakfast? – Mice Krispies
What do you call a cat who runs the post office? – A Post Meowster
How do cats resolve an argument? – They hiss and make up.
What do you call a cat who works in business? – A purr-fessional.
Why don’t kittens like online shopping? – They prefer catalogs.
My mom and I have been able to spend a lot of time together now. Her medical appointments have slowed way down. She says it’s sort of like being on vacation. She gets to catch her breath, relax, and get some reading done. Right now, she’s doing laundry. I like to stay out of her way when she cleans or does laundry, I’m afraid she’ll put me to work.
I’ve put this off long enough. Here is an update on me. I had blood tests 2 weeks ago, and my kidneys were a little worse. I was on IV fluids twice a week. Princess Blue had to drive my mom and me to my doctor twice a week, it’s about 35 minutes from where we live. The doctor decided to increase my IV fluid intake to 3 times a week. My mom asked if she could learn how to do it and give it to me at home. My mom had revealed to me long ago that she had never wanted to go into the medical field. She said as a little girl that she was given a doctor’s kit one year as a gift, and once she saw the thing you get shots with, she no longer wanted to play with it, nor become a doctor or nurse when she grew up. Anyway the doctor told my mom she could do that, so my mom learned how to do my IVs at home. She also checked out YouTube videos once or twice to make sure she was doing it right.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was nervous about her giving me the IVs. I wiggled and jiggled, and although I felt bad doing that, I was really nervous about her sticking that needle into me. She admits she was apprehensive too, the first few times, but it’s getting better.
At first, she tried giving it to me on the table. She hooked the IV bag over the top of our coat rack. But the table wasn’t comfortable for me, and it wasn’t working for her either because there was a lot of room for me to try and jump off.
The next time she tried giving it to me on our love seat. We don’t have a sofa. It was nice and soft so we could both sit comfortably, and she put the pillows around me so it would be harder for me to jump down. And then she got really smart. She made a purrito out of me, sort of like a burrito. She took a bath towel and set me on it then swaddled me in it. That way everything was covered except my head or neck. I kind of felt like I was being cuddled, and it made it much easier for my mom to insert the IV needle under my skin. Not that we haven’t had a mishap or two. Like when she inserted the needle, the fluid was going all over me and not inside. She had to take it out and start over. I didn’t like being wet so she dried me off, took a few deep breaths and started all over again. There was another time, I think it was the first time she had ever done it, she lost part of the fluid in the bag. She had put the coat rack away with the IV bag, but what she didn’t find out until later was that she didn’t have the line completely turned off. Something told her to check it a little later and it’s a good thing, otherwise she would have lost all the fluid in the bag. It was all over the floor, but she learned by her mistake and now makes sure the little roller thing is turned off completely.
Tomorrow, I go for more blood work to see how I am doing with my thyroid and kidneys. My mom and I get nervous, but it’s one of those things. We’re hoping for good news this time, but we know I am never going to get better. I still see my mom crying, but she tries to hide it from me. We do our best not to think about it. Someone asked my mom how I was doing, and she said she noticed that the day after I get my fluid that I am feisty, playful, and more alert. The other night, I was playing with some of my toys, when she gathered up the soft fluffy balls that I like, and one by one threw them up in the air. I swatted at them and ran after them. My mom says I could play outfield for the Detroit Tigers. But she also notices when it’s been a day or two without the fluid, that I don’t have any energy, and all that I want to do is sleep.
That’s it for now. I think I will eat and then take a nap. My mom will probably read while the laundry is in the dryer. I hope everyone stays well and has an amazing summer. Make sure you’re taking good care of your furry loved ones and giving them lots of love. Oh, and make sure you’re taking your pets for regular check-ups and if they’re doing blood work make sure it includes checking their thyroid.
Take care.
Love Maverick
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